FARMERS' REGISTER— MANAGEMENT OF HAY. 



95 



ble difficulty. This rule applies to every species 

 of herbage that is meant to be dried for winter 

 food; but to coarse hay, the produce of wet or 

 marshy grounds, it is strongly applicable ; for, as 

 we have already observed, most of the plants which 

 grow in these situations, when they are in full 

 vigor, are as tender, and contain perhaps as great 

 a proportion of nourishing juices, as any other de- 

 scription of hay ; and, wlien cut at that stage, and 

 properly managed afterwards, form a valuable arti- 

 cle of food both for sheep and cattle ; but \vhen tlie 

 cutting is delayed, as indeed it very often is, till 

 an advanced period of the season, when the plants 

 have not only reached their ultimate growth, but 

 begun to decay, this description of herbage be- 

 comes at once the coarsest and least nourishing of 

 all food. 



This opinion does not proceed upon theory, but 

 upon the solid ground of experiments carefull)^ 

 made upon many different kinds of herbage, at 

 different periods of their growth, the result of 

 which establishes a flict that cannot be too gene- 

 rally known, viz. tliat plants of all sorts, if they 

 are cut when in full vigor, and afterwards care- 

 fully dried, without any waste of their natural 

 juices, either by bleaching with rain, or exhala- 

 tion, contain, weight for w-cight, a quantity of 

 nourishing matter nearly double what they do, 

 when allowed to attain their full growth, and make 

 some progress towards decay. 



Hay of all kinds should certainly be cut at the 

 period we have mentioned, and, if possible, during 

 dry weather ; and, in place of being sufiered to 

 remain in the swath for days, as is commonly 

 done, women with forks or rakes should follow 

 the cutters, and spread it in such a manner as to 

 allow the sun and air free access to the whole. If 

 this operation is properly performed, and the wea- 

 ther favorable, the hay that was cut in the morn- 

 ing will be ready to put into small cocks by mid- 

 day, where it may remain for two or three days; 

 at the end of which, if tlie weather is dry, they 

 may be thrown down early in the morning, and, 

 after being exposed to the sun and atmosphere for 

 a few hours, put up into ricks of at least forty or 

 fifty stones each, where it may remain with per- 

 fect safety, till it is conveniejit to stack it. By 

 such treatment, every valuable quality is pre- 

 served, the hay is of a fine green color, and pos- 

 sesses so agreeable a flavor, tliat the animals cat it 

 with the greatest relish. Before stacking, some 

 attention will be necessary to render the whole as 

 uniformly dry as possible, especially if much rain 

 has fallen, and the wind continued for any conside- 

 rable time in one quarter after the hay has been 

 put into ricks; when that is the case, one side will 

 be found damp, while that which is exposed to the 

 wind is perfectly dry; the remedy consists in 

 turning the ricks round, which is done with great 

 ease, by placing six or eight people, at equal dis- 

 tances, round the rick, with directions to thrust 

 their hands as far as they can under the bottom, at 

 the same time grasping a handful of the hay ; — 

 when the whole are ready, let them lift at once, 

 and move round in the direction intended, till the 

 damp side is opposed to theAvind: in that way, 

 ricks of fifty or sixty stones may be turned with 

 ease and expedition, and the whole rendered uni- 

 formly dry in a short time. 



It has been contended by many, that there is no 

 great necessity for being so solicitous to have hay 



thoroughly dry before it is put into the stack, as 

 it will keep perfectly well even with a considera- 

 ble proportion of moisture; and, should any ap- 

 pi-ehension be entertained to tlie contrary, all 

 danger will be prevented, by mixing it with salt; 

 a practice strenuously recommended by many in- 

 telligent writers. 



Trials carefully made, and upon a scale so ex- 

 tensive as to occasion very considerable loss to 

 those concerned, prove, beyond a doubt, that the 

 addition of salt to damp hay is no preservative 

 against its heating; on tlie contrary, if moist wea- 

 ther follow immediately after it is put into the 

 stack, the addition of salt, in place of being use- 

 ful, will prove hurtful; it being a well established 

 fact, that salt, and every thing impregnated there- 

 with, greedily attracts the moisture of the atmos- 

 phere, and occasions a degree of dampness that 

 would not otherwise have taken place. The ex- 

 perience of persons who build houses Avith stones 

 taken from the bed of the sea, is an undeniable 

 proof of this ; as the walls of such buildino-s are 

 always damp and uncomfortable: even if they should 

 stand for centuries, have we any reason to suppose 

 that the case will be different w hen salt is mixed 

 with hay.'' Either in a damp or dry state, if it is 

 jjut into the stack damp, the salt will very effectu- 

 ally prevent its faniier progress in drying, with 

 this disagreeable addition, that if wet weather fol- 

 low, the salt, by attracting an additional quantity 

 of moisture, will increase the evil. 



The case is not materially different, when salt is 

 mixed with even the driest hay, especially in situa- 

 tions where the climate is moist, and the winters 

 long ; for, if the quantity of salt employed is con- 

 siderable, the continual attraction from the atmos- 

 phere during the winter months, if it does not de- 

 stroy it entirely, v/ill at least have the effect of 

 rendering it musty and unpalatable. 



But though we thus disapprove the practice of 

 salting hay Avhen it is put into the stack, whether 

 in a moist or dry state, there is every reason to 

 believe, that it will be highly salutary and useful, 

 if applied with judgment at a subsequent period. 

 The beneficial effects of meadows or marshes that 

 have been overflowed with salt water, upon the 

 health of sheep and cattle, and the high relish they 

 have for such pastures, are well known ; the pre- 

 ference given by the animals is strong and de- 

 cided: is there any reason to sui>pose that an 

 equal preference would not be given to hay tinged 

 with salt.' 



In bad seasons, when hay has been much in- 

 jured by the Aveather, it is not only tasteless, but 

 disagreeable to the animals in the spring, Avho eat 

 it only from necessity. When that is the case, it 

 becomes an object to mix Avith it any article that 

 can remedy these defects ; for that purpose, nothino- 

 is better calculated than salt, Avhich, along Avith its 

 giving the hay an agreeable taste, has a medicinal 

 effect upon the bowels of the animals; a matter at 

 present too much neglected, while they are feeding 

 upon dry food. The most proper time for apply- 

 ing the salt, seems to be a day or two before the 

 hay is used. At that time, a quantity sufficient 

 for two days consumption should be taken from 

 the stack, and laid either in a shed or barn; a thin 

 stratum should first be spread upon the floor, and 

 lightly sprinkled Avith Avater from the rose of a 

 Avatering-pan ; a small quantity of salt should tlien 

 be equally scattered upon, it ; after Avhich another 



